VITACEAE
Morphological description
Climbers, incl. creepers.
Leaves
Leaves spiral. Usually leaves compound, stipulate, dentate, and with tendril and inflorescence leaf opposed. Sometimes leaves simple: Ampelocissus (some), Cissus (most), Pterisanthes (some), Vitis*; tendril on inflorescence (Ampelocissus, Pterisanthes); inflorescence ribbon-like (Pterisanthes)
Inflorescence
Sometimes tendril on inflorescence (Ampelocissus, Pterisanthes); inflorescence ribbon-like (Pterisanthes).
Flowers
Flowers petals free, valvate; stamens opposite the petals; ovary superior, adnate to the disk, 2-locular. Usually hermaphrodite,
Fruit
Fruit a berry with 2- 4 seeds.
Seed
Seed.
Different from: Cucurbitaceae: flowers usually large, tendrils lateral to petiole, ovary inferior.
Distribution: The family worldwide, chiefly tropical. In Malesia 9 genera, including : - Cayratia (paleotropics), lowland to montane rain forest; - Cissus (pantropical), lowland to montane rain forest; - Tetrastigma (Indo-Australia), lowland to montane rain forest.
Notes: Leea (a genus of shrubs and trees, common in Malesia) is considered to belong to a family in its own right: Leeaceae; see Ridsdale, Fl. Mal. I, 7 (1976) 755-782. - Tetrastigma is the sole host for species of Rafflesia. - Vitis vinifera* is cultivated for its fruit (grapes). Some species are (potential) ornamentals.
Literature: K. Suessenguth, Pfl. Fam. ed. 2, 20d (1953) 174-398; C.A. Backer & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Fl. Java 2 (1965) 86-93. - Prof. A. Latiff Mohamed (UKMB) is revising the family for Flora Malesiana.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Vitaceae 48, 58, 83 - Ampelocissus 4 - Ampelopsis 4, 50, 72 - Cayratia 4 - Cissus 2, 4, 35, 59, 72; C. alata 15 - Nothocissus 4 - Parthenocissus 4 - Pterisanthes 4, 76 - Tetrastigma 4, 59, 70, 105 - Vitis 4.
Illustrations: Fig. 182. Cissus discolor Blume (Vitaceae). Reproduced from J.J. Ochse & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies (1980) fig. 440. Fig. 183. Tetrastigma megacarpum Latiff (Vitaceae). Habit. Reproduced from Blumea 35 (1991) 562, fig. 2A.
Image in PhytoImages for Vitaceae